Jill: Aw man, I left my pumpkin juice at work.
Me [disgusted]: Why the hell do you have pumpkin juice?
Jill: It's from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Me: Why the hell don't I have pumpkin juice?
June 15, 2011
March 31, 2011
Days like this
Highlights from today's evening walk:
- Little purple violets that pop up all along the park strip through last year's dead leaves and trampled grass
- Watching two kids across the street running back and forth through their tiny lawn, barefoot in their pajamas
- Feeling the first traces of lingering warmth into the air
- Knowing that even though I really didn't want to put on shoes and take a walk, I did it anyway
March 28, 2011
I went to Disneyland
And Jill took pictures. And wrote blog posts. You should go read them.
Japanese Garden: When Koi Fish Attack!
Aquarium of the Pacific: Invasion of the Field Trippers!
Disneyland: Rides, Raves, and Rain!
Everything Else: Things Not Worthy of Exclamation Points!
Japanese Garden: When Koi Fish Attack!
Aquarium of the Pacific: Invasion of the Field Trippers!
Disneyland: Rides, Raves, and Rain!
Everything Else: Things Not Worthy of Exclamation Points!
March 15, 2011
Belated
The post, that is. Not the gifts. My best birthday presents, birthday #29:
From Jill to me:
Cute cereal bowls, a variety of fancy fruit-infused olive oils, three spiffy salad dressing shakers, and a plethora of pop.
Oh and a happy dish brush.
From me to me:
A clean room. This is a really big deal. My room is usually a laundry pile, empty soda pop can, book stack disaster. (Side note: If my life depended on my ability to hold a camera straight and take a decent well-lit picture, I would surely die.)
Bookshelf and bright window
Bed and scarves
Love seat and (partial) desk
Cute cereal bowls, a variety of fancy fruit-infused olive oils, three spiffy salad dressing shakers, and a plethora of pop.
Oh and a happy dish brush.
From me to me:
A clean room. This is a really big deal. My room is usually a laundry pile, empty soda pop can, book stack disaster. (Side note: If my life depended on my ability to hold a camera straight and take a decent well-lit picture, I would surely die.)
Bookshelf and bright window
Bed and scarves
Love seat and (partial) desk
January 31, 2011
No spider eating required
Survivor starts February 16. If you want to play along with Jill and me, here are the rules:
1. Pick yourself. (Kelly Taylor style!) Check out all of the contestants in the first episode. Choose who is most like yourself. This is not the person you think is most likely to win. This is the person, out of the entire group, that is most like you. Jill usually picks a blonde, I usually pick a brunette. If there's someone kind of mean and snarky, I tend to pick her as "myself." Your pick doesn't necessary have to look like you, or even be the same gender. There just needs to be some kind of shared connection. Last season, Jill's Survivor Self was an older ER doctor with short red hair, but they had the same name.
2. Pick your alliance. This rule is new. After you've chosen your Survivor self, you can pick two additional players to be your "alliance." You'll want to pick people you think will make it to the end. They do not need to be on the same tribe as your Survivor Self. (Remember: this isn't real.)
Rules:
1. Pick yourself. (Kelly Taylor style!) Check out all of the contestants in the first episode. Choose who is most like yourself. This is not the person you think is most likely to win. This is the person, out of the entire group, that is most like you. Jill usually picks a blonde, I usually pick a brunette. If there's someone kind of mean and snarky, I tend to pick her as "myself." Your pick doesn't necessary have to look like you, or even be the same gender. There just needs to be some kind of shared connection. Last season, Jill's Survivor Self was an older ER doctor with short red hair, but they had the same name.
Previous Survivor Self picks:
- Tocantins -- Me: Erinn, Jill: Sierra.
- Samoa -- Me: Laura, Jill: Ashley
- Heroes vs. Villains: -- Me: Parvati, Jill: Courtney
- Nicaragua -- Me: Brenda, Jill: Jill
2. Pick your alliance. This rule is new. After you've chosen your Survivor self, you can pick two additional players to be your "alliance." You'll want to pick people you think will make it to the end. They do not need to be on the same tribe as your Survivor Self. (Remember: this isn't real.)
Rules:
- The person with the Survivor Self or Alliance member that lasts the longest wins. There is no prize (other than the title of Fake Sole Survivor), so the scoring doesn't get anymore technical than that.
- No cheating by looking up spoilers. (I say this mostly to myself, as I love looking up spoilers.) You can look them up after you make your picks.
- Picks must be final before episode 2. Use cbs.com/survivor to look over the bios for all of the Survivors. Episode 1 rarely features everyone, especially when there's a returning cast member gimmick like this season. Be prepared for The Russell and Rob Show, at least until they get voted out.
January 19, 2011
I swear I'm not turning this into a food blog
But I found another really tasty recipe. This is even better than the Tuna Tarragon Salad, because it's SO GOOD for you. Less than 300 calories a serving, and only 5 grams of fat. The recipe makes two servings. (Source. As if I could make up my own recipe.)
Cantonese chicken and corn soup
Ingredients:
1-inch piece of fresh ginger—peeled
3 cups chicken broth (I fancy up the broth by boiling it with 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 1 onion, and 2 sprigs of parsley for 30 minutes, then straining out the vegetables.)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¾ cup canned creamed corn
1 oz (30g) dried rice vermicelli noodles
1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed to a paste with 1 tablespoon water
½ cup skinless rotisserie chicken breast—finely shredded
1 scallion (spring onion)—thinly sliced
Directions:
CRUSH the piece of ginger with the side of a large knife blade, keeping it in one piece. PUT the ginger, stock, soy sauce and sesame oil in a saucepan and bring to the boil. REDUCE the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, then remove the piece of ginger. ADD the creamed corn, noodles and scallion and simmer for a further 3 minutes. STIR in the cornstarch paste and keep stirring as the soup thickens. ADD the shredded chicken breast, warm through, then serve.
P.S. I know I should take pictures of these recipes. I actually did take one of the pasta salad, but according to Jill it looked like maggots. I swear, it didn't taste like maggots. So I figure the recipes are better without my pictures. Though the actual picture of the pasta salad can't be worse than repeated use of the word "maggots" in a post about food.
Cantonese chicken and corn soup
Ingredients:
1-inch piece of fresh ginger—peeled
3 cups chicken broth (I fancy up the broth by boiling it with 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 1 onion, and 2 sprigs of parsley for 30 minutes, then straining out the vegetables.)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¾ cup canned creamed corn
1 oz (30g) dried rice vermicelli noodles
1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed to a paste with 1 tablespoon water
½ cup skinless rotisserie chicken breast—finely shredded
1 scallion (spring onion)—thinly sliced
Directions:
CRUSH the piece of ginger with the side of a large knife blade, keeping it in one piece. PUT the ginger, stock, soy sauce and sesame oil in a saucepan and bring to the boil. REDUCE the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, then remove the piece of ginger. ADD the creamed corn, noodles and scallion and simmer for a further 3 minutes. STIR in the cornstarch paste and keep stirring as the soup thickens. ADD the shredded chicken breast, warm through, then serve.
P.S. I know I should take pictures of these recipes. I actually did take one of the pasta salad, but according to Jill it looked like maggots. I swear, it didn't taste like maggots. So I figure the recipes are better without my pictures. Though the actual picture of the pasta salad can't be worse than repeated use of the word "maggots" in a post about food.
Look, here's a picture of this lovely soup.
(I didn't take this picture, but it really does end up looking like this.)
(I didn't take this picture, but it really does end up looking like this.)
January 6, 2011
Tuna Tarragon Pasta Salad
This is my new favorite recipe. If you've ever been to Sweet Tomatoes, they have this in their salad bar. I got the recipe from here, and when I made it, I only used shell pasta, I didn't coat the pasta with oil, I didn't put in celery, and I used regular black pepper instead of white pepper. DELICIOUS.
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups small shell pasta
1 1/4 cups penne pasta
1 cup spinach fettuccine (3-inch pieces)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna in water
2 cups sweet pickle juice (small jar contains about 1 cup)
1 3/4 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sweet pickles (diced)
1 cup celery (diced)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons dried tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups small shell pasta
1 1/4 cups penne pasta
1 cup spinach fettuccine (3-inch pieces)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna in water
2 cups sweet pickle juice (small jar contains about 1 cup)
1 3/4 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sweet pickles (diced)
1 cup celery (diced)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons dried tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- For the pasta: In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a full boil. Add pastas and cook for about 10 minutes until al dente. Immediately strain pasta and cool by running cold water over pasta in strainer. Drain pasta completely and place in a bowl. Coat pasta with canola oil to prevent sticking.
- For the dressing: Place tuna in a large bowl and break down into small pieces. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and thoroughly whisk to combine.
- Combine the dressing and cooked pasta and mix thoroughly. ALLOW SALAD TO MARINATE FOR 8 HOURS! After 8 hours, top with more pickle juice and salt and pepper to taste.
January 2, 2011
Crash and Burn
You ever start listening to a song over the restaurant speakers or at a store in the mall and get this overwhelming feeling I know this song. Not just realizing you'd heard it before somewhere, but knowing that this song was significant to you on some emotional level, many many years ago. It overwhelms you like some potent, long-forgotten aroma. You can't figure out the name or or the artist, but you can sing along to all the words. Then you get embarrassed, because the song is super cheesy, but you know at one point in your life, you truly felt that this song really spoke to the anguished depths of your teen-aged soul.
Jill and I were eating at Red Robin when this song came on (link to youtube video), and we both shared that similar moment. And omg I just watched the video and he does sign language. Remember in high school and seminary when adding sign language was really the super special cherry on top that launched a musical performance from dab-your-eyes spiritual to so-uplifting-that-I-would-be-terribly-ungrateful-if-I-did-not-share-my-testimony-with-you-right now! (Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh. But I blame my aversion to overt spiritual manipulation on the girl who taught relief society lessons in college using Enya songs and clips of the World Trade Center being attacked.)
Once we figured out what that song was (is it from a Disney movie? is it used in some epic amv? why do we both instantly react to this song?), we laughed over our awkward sentimentality:
Disclaimer: I still kind of love that song, and may have watched the music video more than once today.
Jill and I were eating at Red Robin when this song came on (link to youtube video), and we both shared that similar moment. And omg I just watched the video and he does sign language. Remember in high school and seminary when adding sign language was really the super special cherry on top that launched a musical performance from dab-your-eyes spiritual to so-uplifting-that-I-would-be-terribly-ungrateful-if-I-did-not-share-my-testimony-with-you-right now! (Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh. But I blame my aversion to overt spiritual manipulation on the girl who taught relief society lessons in college using Enya songs and clips of the World Trade Center being attacked.)
Once we figured out what that song was (is it from a Disney movie? is it used in some epic amv? why do we both instantly react to this song?), we laughed over our awkward sentimentality:
Jill: I do not want to tell you about the memory associated with this song, it's too embarrassing.
Me: Was it about Adam or Chad?
Jill: Neither. It was about Jesus.
Song: When you feel all alone / And the world has turned its back on you / If you need to crash then crash and burn / You're not alone
Me: Yeah, I can see that.
Disclaimer: I still kind of love that song, and may have watched the music video more than once today.
October 25, 2010
Hereafter
I saw Hereafter this weekend. I liked it, but Jill didn't. She did say it was better than The American, but that can barely be considered an endorsement. Even though I liked it, it wasn't without it's problems:
- About 1/3 of the movie is subtitled. I know this is so uncultured of me, but sometimes I am just not in the mood for subtitles. I didn't mind them this time, but I wish I had been warned.
- The music is very heavy-handed and at times annoying.
- Plot advancements happen via google searches. This shouldn't bother me that much. It's 2010, and people really do base actions and decisions on google searches. But it feels like lazy writing. Maybe it's just forever tainted because it was used in Twilight.
- The dialogue is often awkward. In a moment of amazement, a character actually says, "Well I'll be."
October 18, 2010
The Easy Red Social Town
I've seen like a billion movies since I last updated. What gives? I'm lazy, that's what gives. I saw The Town, The Social Network, Easy A, and RED. See? A billion. So here are the reviews, from my least favorite to my most favorite.
Easy A
Likable protagonist, sometimes funny, but the movie is very overrated. I was expecting something like Clueless - silly contemporary literary adaptation but with Scarlet Letter instead of Emma. I left the theater very disappointed.
RED
I know a guy that refuses to watch movie trailers, because he feels they ruin the movie. I think that guy would like RED a lot more than I did. It was a perfectly fun fluff movie, but it felt like an extended version of the trailer. No surprises, no amazing chase scenes, no commentary on society. (Though there IS a lot of Karl Urban in a suit.) So you'll like the movie exactly as much as you liked the trailer. (Maybe a little more if you like looking at Karl Urban in a suit.)
Srsly, I'm wearing a suit.
Easy A
Likable protagonist, sometimes funny, but the movie is very overrated. I was expecting something like Clueless - silly contemporary literary adaptation but with Scarlet Letter instead of Emma. I left the theater very disappointed.
RED
I know a guy that refuses to watch movie trailers, because he feels they ruin the movie. I think that guy would like RED a lot more than I did. It was a perfectly fun fluff movie, but it felt like an extended version of the trailer. No surprises, no amazing chase scenes, no commentary on society. (Though there IS a lot of Karl Urban in a suit.) So you'll like the movie exactly as much as you liked the trailer. (Maybe a little more if you like looking at Karl Urban in a suit.)
Srsly, I'm wearing a suit.
The Town
I really liked this movie, but I left the theater disappointed with the scope of it. (Does that even make sense?) The premise, from the trailer, is that this small area of Boston is responsible for a disproportionately high number of bank robberies. That premise has a lot of promise. But it's just a regular bank robbery movie with a little bit of romance. I had a problem with Ben Affleck's character being characterized as the hero. He kills a lot of people breaks a lot of laws, and gets away with it. Am I supposed to be ok with that because of where he comes from? Because of his life circumstance? The movie isn't very clear with that. And Jon Hamm's character would have been a total waste of a character, were it not played by Jon Hamm. But it was, so no complaints. Overall, the movie was intense and entertaining, with great bank heist/car chase intensity.
The Social Network
Loved this movie. (Just pretend that it's not half fiction.) I like that it never really tells you what to think of Mark Zuckerburg. It makes judgments on all other characters (that scene with the twins and dean was AWESOME), but you never really feel comfortable coming to any conclusions about Mark. Is he good or is he evil? Mostly evil, right? He deals with his deep insecurity over being excluded and marginalized by society by creating his own society... and then using it to excluding and marginalize the people who were his actual friends. Very interesting movie. Great dialogue, excellent music and cinematography, and good pacing. I loved the actor that played the twins. They were my favorite characters.
I really liked this movie, but I left the theater disappointed with the scope of it. (Does that even make sense?) The premise, from the trailer, is that this small area of Boston is responsible for a disproportionately high number of bank robberies. That premise has a lot of promise. But it's just a regular bank robbery movie with a little bit of romance. I had a problem with Ben Affleck's character being characterized as the hero. He kills a lot of people breaks a lot of laws, and gets away with it. Am I supposed to be ok with that because of where he comes from? Because of his life circumstance? The movie isn't very clear with that. And Jon Hamm's character would have been a total waste of a character, were it not played by Jon Hamm. But it was, so no complaints. Overall, the movie was intense and entertaining, with great bank heist/car chase intensity.
The Social Network
Loved this movie. (Just pretend that it's not half fiction.) I like that it never really tells you what to think of Mark Zuckerburg. It makes judgments on all other characters (that scene with the twins and dean was AWESOME), but you never really feel comfortable coming to any conclusions about Mark. Is he good or is he evil? Mostly evil, right? He deals with his deep insecurity over being excluded and marginalized by society by creating his own society... and then using it to excluding and marginalize the people who were his actual friends. Very interesting movie. Great dialogue, excellent music and cinematography, and good pacing. I loved the actor that played the twins. They were my favorite characters.
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